Investigation of Geology and Hydro-geophysical Features Using Electromagnetic and Vertical Sounding Methods for Abu Zabad Area, Western Kordofan State, Sudan

The geology and hydro-geophysical features can aid in identifying borehole location. The study aims to investigate groundwater aquifers and best location of boreholes in the crystalline basement area of Abu Zabad near El Obeid Southwest, Sudan. The study area is underlain by two aquifers formations from Precambrian age. The oldest units of basement complex of area under investigation consist of metamorphic rocks including gneiss, schist, and quartzite.The geophysical methods electromagnetic (EM) and vertical electrical sounding (VES) surveys showed that best aquifers yield for construction of boreholes are in weathering and fractures formation. The EM results revealed that structural features are significant for groundwater potential and interpretation of the VES data also revealed four geo-electric layers, but generally two distinct lithologic layers, which include Superficial deposit and bedrock-basement respectively. The curves generated from the data revealed H curve and HK curve, and thickness of these layers varies from 15 m to 50 m in the area. The aquifer thickness range from 20 m to 30 m. The study concludes that these techniques are suitable for identifying borehole location in the basement rock in Abu Zabad Area Sudan

On the bounds of the expected nearest neighbor distance

In this paper, we give some contributions for special distributions having unbounded support    for which we derive upper and lower bounds on the expected nearest neighbor distance of the extreme value (Gumbel) distribution as typical

Lorcaserin vs. Phentermine among non-surgical and surgical obese patients: Anthropometric, glycemic, lipid, safety and cost outcomes

Background To evaluate effectiveness, safety, and costs of Lorcaserin vs. phentermine among obese non–surgical and surgical patients (post bariatric surgery). Methods This retrospective study retrieved charts of all patients (January 2013–June 2016) who received Lorcaserin or phentermine for 3 months. The study assessed anthropometric, glycemic, and lipid changes, as well as side effects and cost of medications among overweight and obese non-surgical (n = 83) and surgical patients (n = 46). These two patient groups were compared using Chi-square (χ2) and unpaired‘t’ test for qualitative and quantitative variables respectively. Results At 3 months, among the non-surgical group, Phentermine patients had greater percentage of total weight loss (TWL%) (7.65 ± 8.26 vs. 2.99 ± 3.72%, P = 0.003), and greater BMI reduction (−3.16 ± 3.63 vs. −1.15 ± 1.53 kg/m2, P = 0.003) than Lorcaserin. Within the surgical group, Lorcaserin patients had significantly smaller TWL% (1.86 ± 5.06 vs. 7.62 ± 9.80%, P = 0.012), and smaller BMI reduction (−0.74 ± 1.80 vs. −3.06 ± 4.08 kg/m2, P = 0.012) than Phentermine. Lorcaserin exhibited significant total cholesterol and LDL improvements only among surgical patients with significant weight reduction (≥5% TW). Both medications were not associated with glycemic improvements among non-surgical and surgical groups. Phentermine had slightly more side effects but was less expensive. Conclusions Among both patient groups, phentermine was more effective in achieving weight loss. Lorcaserin showed dyslipidemia improvements only among surgical patients who achieved significant weight reduction. Anti-obesity medications as part of weight management programs can result in weight loss among non-surgical and surgical patients, or halt weight regain among surgical patients. This is the first study to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of two anti-obesity medications (lorcaserin vs. phentermine) among two distinct obese patient groups, non-surgical and surgical patients

Integration of remote sensing and geographic information systems for geological fault detection on the island of Crete, Greece

Fracture systems are of great importance in the field of structural geology. Faults commonly afford easy passage to groundwater and fluids such as hydrothermal fluids and magmas or even contribute to earthquake hazard monitoring. For a geologist, it is not always easy to discern such morphotectonic structures at close range. Both remote sensing techniques and spatial modeling permit the recognition and better understanding of the brittle tectonics in an area. This study was an effort to delineate the tectonic structures on Crete by combining Sentinel-2 satellite data and spatial data. For the enhancement and better discrimination of photolineaments primarily recognized on satellite imagery, a variety of enhancement techniques has been applied. The evaluation of a photolineament as a potential fracture zone was based on several factors: the DEM of the study area, the shaded relief, the slopes and corresponding aspects, the drainage network, the geology and general observations on vegetative coverage appearance. The application of these methods revealed several fracture zones, which we recommend be certified by field investigations. Fault-mapping results may be used for a variety of geological and hydrogeological studies. Indicative places of a large concentration of groundwater are of vital importance for subsequent exploitation by areas of need. The present work may provide useful information for further analysis by geophysicists and seismologists.</p

Surgical Complications of Arteriovenous Fistula as Permanent Vascular Access in Patients with End Stage Renal Disease at Gezira Hospital for Renal Disease and Surgery. Revisited

Background: Vascular access (VA) is a mainstay to perform an efficient hemodialysis (HD) procedure. Objectives: To evaluate the surgical complications of AV fistula as permanent vascular access in a patient of end stage renal disease (ESRDS) at Gezira hospital for renal diseases and surgery (GHRDS). Methods: Retrospective, prospective cross sectional hospital based study, done in 237 patients with end stage renal disease who underwent arteriovenous fistula.In 206 patients of the study sample done retrospectively and 31 patients of the study sample done prospectively,and they were followed for 1year. Study was conducted from September 2010 to September 2016. Data was collected using questionnaire.&nbsp; Results: Sixty eight percent of study sample were males, with 42% above 50 years and 0.8% less than 10 years. Most of the patients (52.3%) were diagnosed as ESRD from the first presentation, 43.5% were diagnosed as chronic renal failure (CRF) on regular followup, while the minor rest of the patients were due to acute renal failure(ARF) which progressed to end stage renal disease.The complications rate was 32.8% (n=82), perioperative complications were 9.3% (n=22) represented as infections 3.8% (n=9), bleeding 3.0% (n=7), stenosis 1.7% (n=4), thrombosis 0.8% (n=2). The late complications were 23.18% (n= 60) the commonest was pseudo aneurysmal 19.4% (n=46) followed by venous HTN 0.8% (n=2) and steal syndrome 0.4%(n=1), skin necrosis 0.4%(n=1), idiopathic stop function 2.1% (n=5), thrombosis 0.4% (n=1). Conclusion: Permanent arteriovenous fistula is the best option for haemodialysis in patients with end stage renal disease. The commonest complication was puncture site pseudo aneurysm

Comparison of magnetized and normal water on yield and yield components of banana and hydraulic performance of drip irrigation system

&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; An experiment was conducted at the Horticultural Research Centre Farm of the Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC), Wad Medani, Sudan during seasons 2010 through 2012 to evaluate effects of magnetic water technology on yield, and yield components of banana cv. Albeily and hydraulics of drip irrigation system. Two types of irrigation water were used: magnetic water and normal water. The plot of each type of irrigation water consisted of 4 banana plants. The two treatments were replicated 5 times. The results revealed that applying magnetic water increased plant height and girth of banana and attained fewer days from planting to flowering and from flowering to harvest compared to normal water. Bunch weight and number of hands per bunch were also higher for magnetic water.&nbsp; Magnetic water improved the hydraulic performance of drip irrigation system compared to normal water. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; اجريت هذه الدراسة بمزرعة مركز بحوث البساتين، هيئة البحوث الزراعية، واد مدني السودان في الفترة من 2010 وحتي 2012 لتقييم أثر تقنية مغنطة المياه على الانتاجية&nbsp; ومكونات انتاجية الموز والاداء الهيدرولوكي للري بالتنقيط صنف البيلي. استخدم نوعين من مياه الري مياه ممغنطة ومياه عادية. الوحدة في كل نوع من مياه الري ضمت اربع نباتات والمعاملتين تم تكرارها خمس مرات. اظهرت النتائج ان المياه الممغنطة ادت الي زياده في طول وسمك الساق الكاذبة للموز وكذلك الي تقليل الايام من الزراعة الي الازهار ومن الازهار الي الحصاد. كما اظهرت النتائج ان وزن السبيطة وعدد الكفوف في السبيطة كان اعلي تحت المياه الممغنطة. أدت مغنطة مياه الري الي تحسين الاداء الهيدرولوكي لنظام الري بالتنقيط مقارنة مع المياه العادية.&nbsp; &nbsp

OWL-POLAR : semantic policies for agent reasoning

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comPostprin

The relationship between vitamin D level and severity and control of bronchial asthma among adult Sudanese patients

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between vitamin D level and severity and control of bronchial asthma among adult Sudanese patients at Alshaab Teaching Hospital.Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study, conducted at Alshaab Teaching Hospital, Khartoum Sudan in the period from June to August 2015. Eighty-six asthmatic patients participated in the study after taking their consent. Demographic data were collected using structured questionnaire, the clinical parameters of asthma severity and control were measured according to the criteria of Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention 2014 of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Airway limitation was assessed using Peak Flow Meter. Three ml of blood was taken from each patient to measure vitamin D (25(OH)D) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and data were analyzed using the statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20.Results: Normal serum 25(OH)D (30-50ng/ml) was found in only 2.3% of patients. The mean serum 25(OH)D level in patients with controlled asthma was 25.82±17.27ng/ml while in patients with uncontrolled asthma it was16.48±7.14ng/ml. (P value = 0.005). The mean serum 25(OH)D level in patients with severe asthma was 16.15±6.9ng/ml (P value = 0.151).Conclusions: There was a positive correlation between vitamin D level and bronchial asthma control and a negative correlation with bronchial asthma severity among the study group

Validation of the Arabic version of the Social Communication Questionnaire

Validated screening and diagnostic tools for autism spectrum disorder for use in Arabic-speaking individuals are scarce. This study validated the Arabic version of the Social Communication Questionnaire. The total study sample included 206 children with autism spectrum disorder and 206 typically developing children (73.8% male; mean age: 8.5 (standard deviation = 2.6) years). The mean Social Communication Questionnaire total score was significantly higher in autism spectrum disorder children than in typically developing children (p < 0.0001). Scores on the three Social Communication Questionnaire subscales also differed significantly between the groups (p < 0.001). Of the 39 items, 37 were endorsed significantly more often in the autism spectrum disorder group. The total Social Communication Questionnaire score did not vary by age or gender. Internal consistency was excellent (alpha = 0.92). In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, the area under the curve for the total score showed excellent discrimination between autism spectrum disorder and typically developing children (area under the curve = 0.95; 95% confidence interval: 0.93–0.97). The areas under the curve for the scale subscores were 0.923 (95% confidence interval: 0.898–0.949) for the social interaction score, 0.872 (95% confidence interval: 0.838–0.905) for the communication score, and 0.856 (95% confidence interval: 0.819–0.893) for the repetitive behaviors score. The findings support the use of the Arabic Social Communication Questionnaire to successfully differentiate children with clinically diagnosed autism spectrum disorder using the established cutoff value for the English version.The authors would like to thank all the staff of the autism centers and schools who contributed in distributing and collecting the SCQ forms. They also would like to thank Western Psychological Services (WPS) staff for their help during the process of translating and reviewing the Arabic SCQ. They acknowledge Jennifer Holmes, ELS, for medical editing. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The study was funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (NPRP 6-093-3-024)